TOM 4.0 Reinventing tomato cultivation for a sustainable future

Labor shortages, rising energy costs and the drive toward more sustainable production are changing greenhouse horticulture. To stay ahead, we, together with our partners, must do more than optimize existing systems, we must rethink them entirely. That’s the vision behind TOM 4.0, a pioneering research and development project by Van der Hoeven Horticultural Projects, Ridder, and Hortiplan.

A new growing paradigm

Within TOM 4.0 we explore whether radical changes to the tomato cultivation system can lead to a breakthrough in efficiency and sustainability. Instead of following the traditional, long-cycle tomato crop, TOM 4.0 introduces a short-cycle, mobile cultivation system inspired by hydroponic lettuce production.

Plants are grown on NFT gutters that move through different climate zones and workstations. Each growth phase takes place in a dedicated greenhouse compartment, optimized for that specific stage. This modular approach allows for precise environmental control, consistent plant development and significant labor savings.

Close-up of ripe red tomatoes growing in the Van der Hoeven Eurasia Green Products greenhouse.

From static to mobile and automated

At the heart of TOM 4.0 lies robotized and circular cultivation. Tomato plants are cultivated in movable gutters, enabling crop handling, maintenance and harvesting to be carried out in a central processing area using robotics. By bringing the plants to the workstation instead of sending people into the crop, the system dramatically reduces manual labor and opens the door to full automation.

Continuous sowing ensures steady production, while high planting density and phase-specific optimization increase overall productivity. The result: simplified, predictable and sustainable tomato cultivation that can run year-round with minimal human intervention.

Starting point is the plant

“The plant remains the starting point for everything we do,” says Marc Middeldorp, Head of R&D at Van der Hoeven Horticultural Projects. “Our task is to create the ideal technical environment around it, where climate, light, water and automation all respond precisely to the plant’s needs.”

Growing the future, together

TOM 4.0 represents more than an innovation in technology, it’s a blueprint for the future of controlled environment agriculture. By aligning system design, automation and plant biology, the project offers a vision of resilient, efficient and sustainable food production.

At Van der Hoeven, we are proud to contribute our expertise in integrated greenhouse systems to this groundbreaking initiative. We, together with our partners, are building the foundation for the next generation of horticulture.

Tomato rows in climate-controlled glasshouse by Van der Hoeven

Interested in learning more? 

Contact us today

Marc Middeldorp

Technical Consultant - Head of R&D and Sustainability
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